20 Rupees

Bank of Madras, 20 rupees, hand signed, dated 24 July 1849 of date format 184_, Plate type 1, serial no.: 13451, signed by Robert Hunter. Obv: BANK OF MADRAS in semi-circular on top, above the Vignette of Equestrian statue of Sir Thomas Munroe, Governor of Madras. Denominations in numerals on 4 corners, Bank of Madras written on top 2 panels in English, Persian, Telugu and Tamil and Denominations written on bottom 2 panels in the same 4 languages; serial no. 13451 printed on both halves; A large red stamp PAID 6 March 1871. Rev: BANK OF MADRAS and denomination in big bold fonts, J&R 1C.3.1.3. Printed by Perkins, Bacon & Petch, London. Very fine, Extremely rare. Notes of this type were usually cut in half before transportation and later rejoined as a security measure. However, this particular note remains intact and has not been rejoined, making it an exceptionally rare and valuable find for collectors. For more details, refer Article “Bank of Madras: A Detailed Study After 175 Years” written by Mr. Ramkumar Sarangapani, published in IBNS Journal Volume 56, Number 2, 2017.